Car Review: 2012 Chevrolet Volt

By David Booth, Postmedia News

Originally published: August 4, 2011

SMALL

MEDIUM

LARGE

Kanata, Ont. • General Motors bills it as “more car than electric,” an admonishment that it’s time for alternatively fuelled automobiles to hit the mainstream. And through more than 1,500 kilometres and four days of driving, my lasting impression of the new Chevrolet Volt is just that — it’s a car. A novel one, to be sure, and one pointing in the general direction, at least, of a less profligate future, but a car nonetheless — with some of the same foibles (and a few of its own) as other mid-sized automobiles on the market.

That said, the Volt competes in a segment — extended-range electric vehicles — that it alone occupies. It earns this unique (for now) designation by being powered by a 111-kilowatt (149-horsepower) primary electric motor fed, alternately, by a 16-kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery pack and, when that is depleted, by a generator powered by an 84-hp 1.4-litre Ecotec gasoline engine.

Though this sounds like the formula for a garden-variety hybrid, the new Chevy is most certainly not a hybrid. It doesn’t operate like a hybrid, it doesn’t drive like a hybrid and, even when the internal-combustion engine is operating, it doesn’t consume fuel in the same fashion as a hybrid.

Only the Voltec electric drive system powers the front wheels. Armed with that 16-kWh (of which 10.3 is actually usable) battery, the Volt is able to drive for 40 to 80 kilometres (in GM’s estimation) or 60 to 70 km (my experience) on battery power alone while consuming absolutely no fuel. Only after the battery’s energy is used up does the engine fire, but the wheels are still driven via the electric motor.

The Volt certainly drives like an electric car. In battery mode, the silence is eerie, which is the first thing on which first-time passengers (and passersby) comment. From the driver’s standpoint, there’s the initial surge of torque (273 pound-feet at its zenith) common to all electric vehicles and the rheostat-like response to throttle inputs. The Volt takes a little more than nine seconds to scoot to 100 kilometres an hour and, even if its acceleration tails off dramatically after 140 km/h, it offers all the performance a family sedan needs.

When the gasoline motor kicks in, it still feels like an EV, simply because the electric motor (or two, since the Volt has primary and secondary electrically powered motors) is still driving the front wheels. Throttle response and the powerband remain the same. For the most part, the 1.4L Ecotec’s operation is subdued enough that you have to strain to hear it. The exception is when first starting up after the first 60 or 70 km have been driven to deplete the battery. Then, the motor starts with a high idle speed, as if it is trying to warm up as quickly as possible. Also, when maximum acceleration is called for, the little four-banger revs hard enough to be heard. Again, this only occurs after the electric charge is depleted. In the initial battery operation, even full throttle is accompanied by the sound of eerie EV silence.

As for the rest of the Volt’s comportment, its performance is typical of any GM product these days — far better than they’ve been with only a few tinges of the old, retrograde General. The steering — electrically boosted, of course — is a little light and jittery. The brakes could be slightly more responsive. But the ride is excellent, cornering better than most family sedans on the market and, from any seat other than the driver’s, it is very easy to forget that you’re in an electric vehicle.

From the driver’s seat, though, that’s (almost too) readily apparent. There are lights, histograms and digital readouts for everything from the expected range on battery power to a little round globe (green, naturally) that floats in just the right position if you’re driving as economically as possible. The future is digital and Chevrolet obviously takes computing power seriously.

That said, some of the digitization can be a little overwrought. The XM satellite radio, for instance, has changed its interface and now offers even more submenus to plow through. That means both more frustration and more distraction for the driver as he or she searches for Blue Collar radio so a favourite Jeff Foxworthy routine might be heard. On the other hand, the Volt’s rear-view camera display is exemplary, Chevrolet even adding a small light in the back so one’s view in the LCD screen is illuminated when backing up at night. Très nifty.

One interior limitation imposed by the car’s electrical propulsion is the two bucket-type seats in the rear. The battery pack occupies the cabin’s centre tunnel, so a bench seat that would accommodate three back-seat passengers is not possible. Other than price, it is the Volt’s biggest sacrifice to EV status. That price, however, will be a large impediment to Volt ownership. More than $41,000 is a lot of money to pay for something that started as a Cruze, even if the Ontario government is offering a $8,230 rebate and Quebec $7,769. You’ll almost assuredly never recoup the premium in diminished fuel costs, though, as I’ve said many times, that’s true of virtually all electrified vehicles.

What the Volt retains is proof that the future doesn’t have to be as boring, underpowered or as alien as we might have anticipated. It can be “more car than electric” — as the GM ad folks say.

As a diehard motor head, I found it surprisingly easy to get comfortable with electrically refuelling the Volt. Luckily, my electrical outlet was on the same side (left) as the Volt’s charging port and it was a simple matter of hitting the key fob to open the port’s cap and plug in the attachment.

A word to the wise, however: Get the optional 240-volt charging station that permanently affixes to your garage wall. Not only does it charge faster — four hours versus 10 for the 110-volt charging apparatus supplied — but the standard unit would be a pain in the you-know-where to wrap up every morning to take with you. You might, however, need to upgrade your garage with a dedicated 240V circuit.

It’s also worth noting that, although the default charging operation is to start refuelling as soon as the cord is plugged in, you can program the process for cheaper, off-peak hours or even a specific departure time.